Wests Tigers managed to withstand an onslaught of bombs to secure their place in the NRL ladder’s fourth position, triumphing 24-22 against Cronulla at Leichhardt Oval on Saturday night.
The Tigers’ second-rower, Liam Fulton, scored two tries as the team overcame the Sharks, four tries to five, in a display that was uneven against a determined Cronulla outfit. The Tigers only occasionally shone against the struggling Sharks, who narrowed a 24-16 gap to two points with ten minutes left on the clock.
A significant portion of the visitors’ tries—three out of four—originated from bomb kicks, while Tigers winger Lote Tuqiri faced a challenging evening amidst a barrage of high balls.
The game featured significant impacts from late replacements and players facing their former club.
Former Wests Tiger Dean Collis made his mark by scoring two tries for the Sharks, with his first occurring in the 12th minute, capitalizing on his strength to break through tackles attempted by centre Chris Lawrence and Tuqiri.
Mitch Brown, ex-Shark and substitute for the injured Wade McKinnon, was initially denied by video referee Phil Cooley before Robbie Farah seized the chance to score just over a minute later.
Fulton’s first try came in the 25th minute, but the Sharks equalized with a try by winger Blake Ferguson, who was a last-minute replacement for Issac Gordon, just after a Tuqiri error under a high ball.
Lawrence saw a try disallowed by Cooley when he was pushed out of the field, but his 40-metre run just before halftime allowed the home team to lead 14-10 at the break.
At the start of the second half, Ferguson had a try ruled out again when he was pushed into touch, but the Leichhardt crowd was even less pleased with Cooley’s subsequent decision that allowed Collis to score his second try after the Tigers struggled to handle another bomb.
Tuqiri then found redemption with a try in the 65th minute, giving Wests a 24-16 advantage. However, a converted try from fullback Nathan Gardner, resulting from another high kick, set the stage for a tense finish.
Lawrence successfully converted one out of two tries after taking over goalkicking from Benji Marshall, who managed only one out of three attempts in the first half, bringing his tally to four from 14 over the past three weeks. This aspect will need addressing for the Tigers in the upcoming weeks if they aim to prove their worth in the playoffs.
Cronulla coach Flanagan expressed his frustration over three decisions that didn’t go in his team’s favor, labeling them a “massive turnaround.”
He raised concerns over the no-try calls against Ferguson and center Ben Pomeroy, who was penalized with a “held” ruling during the dying moments while trying to score a decisive try.
“Whether it’s a try or not, I don’t know. I think there were probably worse decisions than that,” Flanagan shared with reporters.
Pomeroy remained convinced about the legitimacy of his potential try.
“I believed I was pushed in that direction and landed on my front; the ball touched the line,” Pomeroy commented.
“We had our struggles, showing both good plays and some lackluster efforts as well,” Sheens noted.
